A famous constraint on the US rail network is being relieved. Work has begun on Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel. The restricted loading gauge structure cannot accept double-stack intermodal trains. That is about to change.
Class 1 freight railroad operator CSX has closed Baltimore’s historic Howard Street Tunnel for reconstruction, aiming to modernise the 8,700-foot (2650m) tunnel and enable double-stack intermodal service along the I-95 Rail Corridor – incongruously named after the East Coast interstate highway it parallels.
Infrastructure responsibilities
After extensive preparations, capital works have been underway for just over two weeks. The first rail spikes were removed on Saturday, 1 February, with the first track sections lifted out shortly afterwards. By lowering the floor of the tunnel, the project will increase vertical clearance in the tunnel.
The work on the Howard Street tunnel itself is part of a wider “Howard Street Tunnel Project” that has been underway since November 2021. It includes addressing 22 obstructions along the corridor between Baltimore and Philadelphia. The whole project is a public-private construction partnership that is being funded by CSX and grants from the US Federal Railroad Administration, the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and the City of Baltimore.
Starting something big
Resolving the longstanding issue of the tunnel clearance is expected to help Baltimore develop as an intermodal gateway to Midwest markets.
As reported last year by WorldCargo News, Baltimore is already gearing up for double-stack operations through the city centre. “This is a tremendous opportunity to alleviate a restriction on our network and open up new opportunities for CSX,” said Ed Sparks, CSX chief engineer of bridge design and construction. “We’re starting something big.”
Better port connections
Allowing double-stack intermodal trains to travel more directly through Baltimore will boost more than the local economy. The city and the region are still living with the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on 26 March last year, after being struck by a container vessel. The Howard Street Tunnel upgrades will, among other benefits, better connect the Seagirt Marine Terminal Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Baltimore with interior distribution hubs.
“It strengthens the Port of Baltimore’s competitiveness with other East Coast ports,” said Brandon Knapp, CSX senior director of Mid-Atlantic construction. “This project benefits CSX while also boosting the region’s economy.”